Biostimulants as a Response to the Negative Impact of Agricultural Chemicals on Vegetation Indices and Yield of Common Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum Moench)

Mateusz Krupa () and Robert Witkowicz
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Mateusz Krupa: Department of Ecology and Silviculture, Faculty of Forestry, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. 29 Listopada 46, 31-425 Krakow, Poland
Robert Witkowicz: Department of Agroecology and Crop Production, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Krakow, Poland

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-20

Abstract: Weed control during common buckwheat cultivation is hindered by the crop’s high sensitivity to agrochemicals. This study evaluates whether biostimulants (Asahi SL, Kelpak SL, B-Nine) could reduce the adverse effect of abiotic stress caused by these substances on buckwheat’s vegetation indices and yield. To this end, a four-factor field experiment was performed according to the 3 4−1 Box–Behnken design on chernozem soil with silt texture at the Experimental Station of the Agricultural University of Krakow (Poland, 50°07′ N, 20°04′ E). The results showed that calcium cyanamide fertilization was effective in reducing the abundance of dicotyledonous weeds by 39% and the dry weight of weeds per unit area by 20% relative to ammonium nitrate-fertilized sites. However, the most effective method of weed control was the application of metazachlor together with clomazone. The mixture of these active substances reduced the abundance of monocotyledonous weeds, dicotyledonous weeds, and dry weight of weeds by 83%, 40.5%, and 36.4%, respectively. The use of herbicides adversely affected the leaf area index (LAI). Nitrophenol treatment of buckwheat grown on soil fertilized with calcium cyanamide resulted in increased achene yield and number of seeds per plant compared to ammonium nitrate fertilization. The application of daminozide on chemically protected plants resulted in improved vegetation indices such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and soil plant analysis development (SPAD) compared to sites not exposed to herbicides.

Keywords: crop protection; crop nutrition; plant biostimulants; LAI; SPAD; NDVI; segetal flora (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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